Evolutionary Biology – Page 6 – PossibleThreat Articles

Squid-inspired robots might have environmental, propulsion applications

October 1, 2019 0 Comments Biology, Engineering, Evolutionary Biology, Extreme Survival, Nature of Water, Robotics Research, Thermodynamics, Zoology

Inspired by cephalopods, scientists developed an aquatic robot that mimics their form of propulsion. These high-speed, squidlike robots are made of smart materials, which make them hard to detect, while maintaining a low environmental footprint. Physicists used numerical simulations to illustrate the physical mechanisms and fluid mechanics of a squid's swimming method. By using this form of locomotion, the new device can achieve impressive speeds, just like its animal inspiration.

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250-million-year-old evolutionary remnants seen in muscles of human embryos

October 1, 2019 0 Comments Biotechnology, Charles Darwin, Developmental Biology, Early Humans, Evolution, Evolutionary Biology, Human Evolution, Nature

A team of evolutionary biologists have demonstrated that some limb muscles known to be present in many mammals but absent in the adult human are actually formed during early human development and then lost prior to birth. These findings offer insight into how our arms and legs evolved from our mammalian ancestors, and also help explain rare limb anomalies found in humans born with congenital malformations.

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Pineapple genome sequences hint at plant domestication in a single step

October 1, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Botany, Endangered Plants, Evolutionary Biology, Food, Food and Agriculture, Genetics, Mating and Breeding

An international team published their analysis of the genome of the red pineapple, a plant grown for fiber production and as an ornamental.

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A closer look at monogamy and polygamy in brood parasitic birds

October 1, 2019 0 Comments Biochemistry Research, Biology, Birds, Evolutionary Biology, Mating and Breeding, Nature, New Species, Pests and Parasites

Researchers have discovered that cowbirds conform to Bateman's Principle, despite investing no energy into parental care. Surprisingly, 75% of the cowbirds in the system were monogamous. Future research will expand upon these findings and broaden the understanding of how cowbirds might select the nests they parasitize, what role the males could play to assist the females, and why monogamy could be such a benefit.

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Biologists track the invasion of herbicide-resistant weeds into southwestern Ontario

September 30, 2019 0 Comments Ecology, Endangered Plants, Evolutionary Biology, Exotic Species, Grassland, Nature, Rainforests, Seeds

A team led by biologists have identified the ways in which herbicide-resistant strains of the invasive common waterhemp weed have emerged in fields of soy and corn in southwestern Ontario. The resistance, first detected in 2010, spread thanks to two mechanisms: either pollen and seeds of resistant plants were physically dispersed by wind, water and other means, or resistance appeared through the spontaneous emergence of mutations that then spread.

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ORNL scientists shed light on microbial 'dark matter' with new approach

September 30, 2019 0 Comments Bacteria, Evolutionary Biology, Food, Microbes and More, Microbiology, New Species, Organic, Soil Types

Scientists have demonstrated a way to isolate and grow targeted bacteria using genomic data, making strides toward resolving the grand challenge of uncultivated microbial 'dark matter' in which the vast majority of microorganisms remain unstudied in the laboratory.

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Brave new world: Simple changes in intensity of weather events 'could be lethal'

September 30, 2019 0 Comments Ecology Research, Environmental Awareness, Evolutionary Biology, Global Warming, Nature, New Species, Severe Weather, Weather

Faced with extreme weather events and unprecedented environmental change, animals and plants are scrambling to catch up — with mixed results. A new model helps to predict the types of changes that could drive a given species to extinction.

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Are humans preventing flies from eavesdropping?

September 28, 2019 0 Comments animals, Evolutionary Biology, Extinction, Insects (including Butterflies), Marine Biology, Mating and Breeding, Nature, Pests and Parasites

Soundscapes may influence the evolution of tightly co-evolved host-parasitoid relationships. Both traffic noise and natural ocean noise were found to inhibit parasitoid Ormia fly orientation to sound, which affects reproduction of the fly and survival of the cricket host.

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Why viruses like Herpes and Zika will need to be reclassified: Biotech impact

September 27, 2019 0 Comments Evolutionary Biology, Foodborne Illness, Herpes, Medical Topics, Microbes and More, New Species, Virology, Viruses

New findings reveal many different structural models for viruses, which can eventually lead to developing more targeted antiviral vaccines, by improving our understanding of how viruses form, evolve and infect their hosts.

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Natural selection alters genes that control roundworms' sense of smell

September 26, 2019 0 Comments Charles Darwin, Dogs, Ecology, Environmental Policy, Evolution, Evolutionary Biology, Geochemistry, Origin of Life, Soil Types

Researchers have produced some of the first evidence that shows that artificial selection and natural selection act on the same genes, a hypothesis predicted by Charles Darwin in 1859.